


take the house

by QueenOfCarrotFlowers



Series: Carrot's Romance Fics [30]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Inspired by Oceans 11, Kinda?, Sabacc, Smuggler Ben Solo, Untagged background characters, ancient jedi texts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:41:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25906738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenOfCarrotFlowers/pseuds/QueenOfCarrotFlowers
Summary: Ben Solo is out of prison, and there's only one thing he wants.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: Carrot's Romance Fics [30]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1801348
Comments: 15
Kudos: 42
Collections: Let's Go to the Movies - Reylo Readers & Writers Prompt Exchange





	take the house

**Author's Note:**

  * For [princess_1216](https://archiveofourown.org/users/princess_1216/gifts).



> This fic is for princess_1216's prompt **Rey and Ben in Ocean's 11**.
> 
> I have taken this prompt in what is, perhaps, an unusual direction. I love Oceans 11 and I am a real sucker for the amazing chemistry between Danny Ocean and Rusty (aka George Clooney and Brad Pitt), but I am also a romantic who loves the yearning that Danny and Tess have. So I kind of mashed it together. In canonverse. This is a few scenes from what could be a much bigger story, but I hope it stands well on its own. I was especially pleased to give Rose a pretty central role to play, and to make her relationship important to both Rey and Ben.
> 
> Thanks a million to flypaper_brain for the beta!
> 
> Thanks so much for the prompt, princess_1216, and I hope you enjoy this little story.

There’s a single empty chair in the center of the room. That’s where the guard leads him when the door slides open, to that chair. Across the room is a table, with three people sitting behind it. These three people are the only thing between him and freedom. His sentence is over, so this is all a formality, and he feels that. He wants to be out, back in the cockpit, back making plans and playing games. He reaches the chair, sits in it, and the guard leaves him and goes back to stand by the door. 

He looks over at the people sitting at the table and greets them.

“Hello.” 

The person seated in the middle, a female Togruta, answers him. “Good morning. Please state your name for the record.”

“Obi-Wan Chewbacca Organa Solo.” It’s a long name but he’s said it so many times that it rolls right off his tongue, and although it’s a very impressive name - he comes from an impressive family - the three people behind the table don’t seem impressed. Of course they already know who he is. “But you can call me Ben.” 

The female Togruta clears her throat. She doesn’t call him Ben.

“Thank you. Mr. Solo, you will be released from this prison today. The purpose of this particular meeting is to determine whether, if released, you are likely to break galactic law again. While this was your first conviction, you have been implicated, though never charged, in over a dozen other confidence schemes and frauds. What can you tell us about this?” 

Ben shrugs. “As you say, ma'am, I was never charged.”

The person seated to the left of the Togruta - a human of indeterminate gender - speaks next. “Mr. Solo, what we're trying to determine is: was there a reason you chose to commit this crime, or was there a reason why you simply got caught this time?” 

“My wife left me,” Ben answers evenly. “I was upset. I got into a self-destructive pattern.” It’s not the whole truth, but it’s not entirely a lie, either.

The last person at the table - a male Gungan - finally asks a question. “If released, is it likely you would fall back into a similar pattern?”

“She already left me once. I don't think she'll do it again just for kicks.” 

Glances dart between the three behind the table. The Togruta speaks again.

“Mr. Solo, what do you think you will do when released?”

“I don't know. How much do you guys make a year?”

They aren’t impressed with his question, but his sentence is over. It’s not like they can force him to stay. An hour later he’s walking through the gate, jacket on his back and ring around his finger, heading down the hill to find a ship to get him off this rock.

* * *

Ben is in the gambling sector of Coruscant, sitting at a bar and watching the holos, absentmindedly toying with his ring. Something interesting is going down on Canto Bight, and he wants to know all he can about it, but he’s interrupted by a voice at his shoulder.

“Catching up on current events? If you haven't heard, Hux Enterprises is really going to town on Canto Bight.”

Ben glances up. He’d spoken with this woman briefly earlier, at the Binspo table; they’ve worked together before and he’s known her for years. They’d recognized each other immediately, although she’d insisted that she wasn’t who he thought she was. But she’d told him long ago that this bar was the place to be once the casinos started to clear out, so this is where he’d come, and she hasn’t disappointed him. She’s changed out of her dealer’s threads and into street clothes, simple grey trousers and a tunic to match, Haysian ore medallion around her neck as usual. Her hair is longer than it was the last time he saw her, and curls back from her face. She looks good, and he can’t help but smile at her. Of course he has to tease her about her name tag first. 

“Lily? Really?”

She grins back and slides onto the stool next to him. “Lily Antilles. Rose Tico wouldn’t ever get hired here. You just out?”

“Six standard hours ago.”

She gestures at the drink in his hand, and then more generally around them. “And already you’re turning over a new leaf.”

Ben sighs and clinks the ice in his glass. “I’ll cut to the chase. Have you seen her?”

Rose’s smile falters. “So much for a new leaf.”

“Have you?”

“Ben.” There’s a slight warning in her voice, but Ben doesn’t care.

“Please?” He’s insistent, and she’s weak. For Ben, and for her friend. She sighs.

“Fine. I haven’t seen her in months, but last I heard she was slumming it at Maz’s, giving sabacc lessons to whoever wanted to pay.”

Ben scoffs. “Sabacc? She’s better than that. Also, she’d hate doing that. Why is she doing that?”

“Because it’s money. Anyway, why are you doing _this_? She doesn’t want to see you. Go to Naboo, see your mom. Or to Kashyyyk. Or even Cloud City! I know that Lando would love to catch up with you. The Galaxy is yours, Ben. Forget about her.”

“There’s only one thing in the Galaxy I want, Rose.” Ben drains his glass and sets it decisively down on the bar. “And I intend to keep it this time.”

“Good luck with that!” Her voice follows him out the door and towards the spaceport. 

* * *

Rey sits at the bar and stares at the bottles that line the shelves behind where Maz scurries back and forth serving customers. She’s tired. She’s not where she wants to be. She’s surrounded by people and none of them are the people she wants to be surrounded by - she hasn’t felt so alone since she was a scavenger on Jakku, and that was a very long time ago indeed. Rey likes Maz but she hates this place. It’s too loud, and it smells. But she has to earn a living somehow, and right now this is as good a gig as any. 

Tonight her table is a group of pilots, and she likes them well enough but they’re not good at sabacc, and they’re not particularly interested in learning. They’re here to have a good time and that’s all. She supposes it could be worse; they are paying her, after all. She steels herself for another couple hours of lukewarm sabacc.

She passes Maz, who carries a tray full of drinks, on her way to the back room where she holds her classes around a circular table made of some old tree. The old woman shoots her a look, one that Rey doesn’t parse until she steps through the door and the self-appointed leader of the little group - a commander by the name of Poe Dameron - glances back and gives her a grin, chestnut curls hanging across his brow.

“Hey, Rey, we got another player if that’s all right. Childhood friend of mine showed up unexpectedly. I’ll pay the extra for him, if that’s an issue.”

Rey looks across the table at the new player, seated between two people she’s pretty sure are called Finn and Tallie. His hair is longer than it used to be, and has been arranged to carefully cover his ears, but he’s wearing the same black leather jacket he had on the last time she saw him. He leans back in his chair and smirks at her, holds the cards in his hands up a little higher to show off the silver band he wears on the fourth finger of his left hand. Tension and warmth bloom in her gut in equal measure, and she grips the back of her chair to stay focused.

“No intrusion at all,” she answers shortly, scraping her chair out and sitting in it heavily, with a humph. She refuses to look up at him, so she looks across at Tallie instead. “Let’s play some cards.”

“So what have you been up to, Ben?” Poe asks a few minutes later. “I haven’t seen or heard anything about you for years, not even from the General. It’s like you just dropped out completely for a while there.”

“Two cards, please,” Ben says, and Rey tosses them across the table. He picks them up, pauses, and rearranges his hand before finally addressing Poe. “I just got out of prison.”

A hush falls across the table, and Poe chuckles nervously. “Really?”

Rey, half out of annoyance and half to divert attention, turns to the man sitting next to her, on the other side from Poe. “Snap, raise your hand, Jess is going to be able to see your cards again.” 

“Oops,” The bearded man grunts and pulls his cards close to his chest. The woman next to him laughs, but her eyes remain set on Ben. Ben, on the other hand, is looking right at Rey.

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, broken only by the shuffling of cards and chips, Jess asks the question Rey is sure everybody except her has been thinking.

“What did you, uh, go to prison for?”

“I stole things,” Ben replies, smooth, but Snap wants details.

“What, like credits? Jewels?”

“Ancient Jedi texts,” Rey says, and suddenly all eyes are on her. 

“What, like from a museum?” Finn asks, at the same time that Poe exclaims, “That was _you?_ ”

Ben raises an eyebrow and Rey continues. “From the Galactic Museum on Coruscant.”

“Is there a lot of money in that?” Tallie is clearly interested, leaning forward in her seat, cards all but forgotten. “In ancient Jedi, uh—”

“Texts?” Ben finishes the question. “Some.”

Poe pipes up. “Seriously, I remember reading about that heist on the holos. That was you? Your mom really hushed that up, didn’t she.” Ben and Rey both ignore him.

“Don’t let him fool you, Tallie,” Rey says. “There’s boatloads of money in it. _If_ you can move the things,” she glances down at her hand and scowls. “One card to me,” she mumbles, taking one off the top of the deck. Satisfied, she glares at Ben across the table. He looks relaxed, even amused, and it infuriates her. “But you can’t.”

“My fence seemed confident enough.” Ben stares at her and uses his thumb to twist the silver ring around his finger. 

“If you’re dealing with cash you don’t need a fence.”

“Some people just lack vision.”

Rey sharpens her glare; Ben shrugs at her and toys with his ring.

While they’ve been arguing the expression on Poe’s face has shifted from surprise to understanding, and now he’s just sitting there watching them, a smirk on his own face.

“Good thing that’s all behind us now,” Ben says.

“I should hope so,” Rey spits. Of course it’s not.

Ben picks up a pile of chips. 

“That’s two hundred credits.” He tosses them into the center of the table and glances around. Rey almost laughs - the earlier part of the game had bets of five, ten, maybe twenty credits. She’s afraid that two hundred credits will be too rich for the blood of this particular group. She sits up straighter and looks around at the pilots.

“Guys, what’s the first rule of sabacc?”

Tallie starts, “Never bet on the, uh—” but Poe interrupts her. “Leave emotion at the door.”

“That’s right, Poe. Today’s lesson: how to draw out the bluff. That much money, this early in the game, I’m saying he’s holding nothing better than nineteen.” She’s guessing, based on what she knows about the game, and about Ben. She’s kept her side of their bond in the Force closed tight since the dissolution of their relationship and Ben’s subsequent stint in prison, two years before. She is loath to open it now. Ben’s expression, maddeningly and unusually, gives nothing away. Rey barrels forward. “Finn?”

The man looks at his cards, and at the pile of credits and chips in the middle of the table. Rey feels him waver, and then give up. He throws his cards down. “Nah, I fold.”

“I’m game,” Poe says. “I’ll see your two hundred, and I will raise you another two hundred of my own.”

Ben’s left eye twitches, and Rey can’t tell if it’s muscle reflex or if he’s winking at her. In either case it’s infuriating. But she has to stay on task.

“That’s a very handsome bet, but be careful. We don’t want to push him too high too fast. We want to keep him on a leash.”

Ben makes a noise, something like a cough, and Rey can feel the heat of a blush rush into her cheeks. She hates how he can so easily get under her skin, after the past two years, after what he did. She does her best to ignore him.

“Jess.”

“Call?” The pilot asks.

“Call,” Rey confirms.

“Okay, I’ll call.” Jess throws in her chips, Tallie and Snap follow suit, and finally Rey throws in herself.

“I’ll see your two hundred,” Ben says, not even glancing at his cards, “and I’ll raise you a thousand.” He tosses the chips into the middle of the table like they’re nothing. Poe and his friends are shocked, Rey would be able to see it even if she couldn’t feel it in the Force, and she has to school her expression. 

Maybe he’s not bluffing after all. She opens herself up, just a bit, and there’s a blip in the Force, a shock of _Ben_ , and he glances up at her. This time he definitely winks, and she allows the left corner of her mouth to twitch. This is familiar territory, and it feels surprisingly good.

“Guys, you’re free to do what you like,” she says, “that’s a lot of money. But I’m staying in. He’s trying to buy his way out of his bluff. Poe?”

“One thousand,” Poe says, and tosses chips on the table. His Force signature indicates trust, and Rey feels a pang of guilt - but only a pang. The others throw in chips as well, except for Finn, who watches the rest of them with his eyes wide. He glances at Rey; she gives him a grin and he blushes and looks away.

“Let’s see them, Ben,” Rey says when everyone is done throwing in their chips, and without a word Ben reveals his cards. 

“Pure sabacc,” he says, and Rey’s students groan. Rey opens the bond again, wider this time, and a sense of satisfaction sings through from Ben’s side of the bond. She’s missed it, this heady sensation of being able to feel right into his soul. It’s better than drink, better than flying. Rey barely hears Poe sarcastically thanking her for the tip about calling out the bluff; she’s pleased to see that his annoyance doesn’t stop him from pulling Ben up out of his chair and into a hug.

The students file out for a drink break, but Rey stays behind to watch Ben gather the spoils. He splits the pile in two and pushes half of it towards her. 

“It’s the least I can do,” he says, stacking his own chips, “since I’ve basically ruined your hustle.”

“That wasn’t the most professional thing you’ve done,” she says, and he cocks a grin.

“But not the least professional. Right?”

“Not even close. Why are you here, Ben?”

She can tell that he’s ready to make a quip, something like _I heard there was a game here_ or something like that, but then he catches the look on her face and he doesn’t say that at all.

“I wanted to see you.”

“How did you find me? I know it wasn’t through the Force.”

“Rose Tico told me.” He looks slightly abashed. “She didn’t want to, but she did.”

She prods him through the bond, and is pleased to find that he’s telling the truth. 

“I miss you,” he says next. He means that, too. She sighs as she dumps the chips into her bag. She’ll settle with Maz later.

“It’s interesting that you show up now,” she says, standing up and walking slowly towards him. His eyes grow wide with surprise.

“Really? Why?”

“Because,” she answers, settling into the chair next to him, “I have an idea that’s been brewing. I’ve been thinking about talking to Rose about it, actually, but you’re the perfect person to run it with me.”

“A job?” Raised eyebrows indicate he’s interested. 

“A job,” she confirms. “Are you aware of what’s happening on Canto Bight?”

“Hux Enterprises?”

“Hux Enterprises.”

“Okay. I’m in.” 

Rey laughs. “Just like that? You’re in?”

“Actually, no.” He leans closer. “There’s only one thing I need to know before I agree to do this job with you.”

“And what’s that?”

“I need to know what my wife has done with her wedding ring.” His tone is so serious, so genuine, that she doesn’t bother trying to lie.

“It’s upstairs, in the little box I keep next to my bed. With my other dearest possessions.”

It’s only then that Ben dares to reach out and take her hand. She immediately interlaces her fingers with his, touching the warm silver of his ring. She leans forwards - or maybe he does - and their lips press together in their first kiss since she left him. It had been a stupid thing to do, but maybe this time would be better. 

“Why don’t you go get that ring,” he whispers, minutes later, when they’ve finished getting reacquainted, “and then tell me all about your job.”

“Why don’t you come with me,” she parlays, and takes pleasure in how his eyes widen and the tips of his ears flush at the suggestion. But he dutifully stands up, and follows her out of the room.

She’s pleased to see that Poe and the others have made themselves comfortable at the bar. Poe looks over at them as they sneak past, and holds up his glass in a kind of salute. Rey blushes and looks the other way, pushing through the crowd until they reach the staircase that leads up to her room.

“This job,” she says to Ben, as they mount the stairs, “requires stamina.”

“I have stamina,” he replies confidently.

“And attention to detail.”

“I have that, too.”

She feels his warmth growing through the bond.

“Most importantly,” she says, exiting the stairwell and walking towards the door to her bedroom, “the job requires loyalty. Can you promise me that?”

She turns around to face him, and he’s right there, so very close. He looms over her.

“ _You_ left _me_ ,” he reminds her, and the pain cuts her to the core. She did that. But through the bond, he’s soft. “Don’t leave me again,” he whispers. “Please.”

“I won’t,” she says, and she pushes open the door to her room.

“Then I’m in,” he says. 

That’s all Rey needs to hear. She pulls him through the door, and locks it behind them.

**Author's Note:**

> I did a tiny bit of research about sabacc for this fic. There are two major winning hands: Idiot’s Array, which is #1, and Pure Sabacc, which is #2. Anything else adding up to 23 or less can win. So a 19 would be pretty good but not, like, amazing. ([Rules for sabacc here](https://www.pagat.com/invented/sabacc.html))
> 
> This story isn't set in the same universe as "[The Repatriationists](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17191646/chapters/40422596)," and it's not inspired by it, but I was definitely thinking about that story as I was writing this.


End file.
